Garment hanger



J. P. BROWN GARMENT HANGER Dec. 6, 1949 Filed Deo. 8, 1945 @MW wwwATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 6, 1949 UNITED STATES .OFFICE 2,490,201 GABMENTHANGER John'P. Brown,- Brooklyn, N. Y. application December 8,1945SerialNo. 633,587

Y (C1. J22a-,9U

" 15 Claims.

The invention relates to a-hanger from which articles may be hung andparticularly relates to a garment hanger. AGrarment hangers asheretofore constructed providev a `frame upon which a eoa'tor dressmaybe -hungand a simple bar over Whioh Vtrousers `orv askirt oanbe-hung.lThese l frequently nslip oti of vthefbar and are not whollysatisfactory.

@Iitis an object of `the invention to construct a new and lnovelhangerwhich clamps the article l 1hanger `by the weight of Athe article andprovides a widev clearance or space for inserting Vand removing thegarment.

V vA further object is to construct `a clamping hangerhaving a vdoublemovement, one to open the elampingimeans widely-foreasy insertion ofanartiele to behungand a clamping movement or pivoting whichutiliZes-thewleightnof thearticle to clamp the same.

4- Anotherobjectof theinvention is to construct a hanger having `twoclamp members or lbars oneofvvhich is movableaway from theother toprovide a widespace or clearance between the bars for the insertion ofagarmentand the other pivots to obtain a clamping |action betweentl'iebars.

Another object of the invention--is to provide parts so that an existinghanger can benonverted to vthe hanger of the invention having a holdingbar and a clamping bar, the former being movable away from the other andthe clamping bar clamping the garment to the hanger by the weight of thegarment.

Other objects of the-invention will be .more apparent from thevfollowing,description taken in connection withthe accompanying drawingsshowing preferred embodiments of the. invention yin which:

or garment. 0 tlf;

V'jFigure 1 is a plan view .of a-garment hanger having the clampingaction.

`Figure 2 is a crossvsectiontakenon linevZ-UZ of Figure 1.

Figure 3 isa cross section, through a hanger in which the holding bar isa stationary member and the clamping bar is both pivoted for clampingaction and mounted for movement away from the xed holdingqbar.

VFigure 4 shows a garmenthanger ofthe conventional type which has beenmodifiedtoprovide a clamping type of garment hanger. I

The hanger has general application`V but is designed primarily as agarment hanger. The hanger includes arframe ID .which fora garmenthanger Will have any suitablel coat hanger shape. A hook H may beprovided for suspending the hanger and any garment carried thereby froma"clthe's' ybar.- The frame carries a movable holding bar means I 4. Itmay be movable in any direction, the movement preferred however, is a?movement parallel with the frame which is ob'- tained by suspending theholding bar from a pair of spaced Alinks i5l having an eye I6 in the endthereof f The eye is received in a supporting loop il? of suitableconstruction carried by the frame. A staple may form the' supportingloop. The holding bar means is pivotally mounted'upon the frame' toswing to a position asv shown in dot dash Vlines in Figure 2 in whiohposition a garment ean easily be inserted or draped overa olampingbar'means. The bar may have raised portions I 8if desired, toaccommodatethe holding gbar Afor seams in the garment where the material iS thcke-'fit/leans provided to retain the holding bar means 1in-'properlrelation on a hanger when olamping a garment thereto. This means mayltake arl7 siiitablefform, the simplest construction being to extend theends I9 of the holding bar toform stops which engage the frame andthereby retain the holding bar in proper position for elamping agarment. The holding bar means andolarnping bar lmeans are in proper orcooperative clamping position when the holding bar isinthe,l path ofmovement of a longitudinal edge efiihe damping ber- V Ayolamping barrmeans 22 is supported upon pivots r`25a",locatedbetween its long edgeswhich are carried bythe frame l in the construction of `ligure 1; yThewidthY of' the clamping bar meansnandthelocation ofthe pivots withrespect totheedges depends upon the leverage or clamp'- vingIpressuregdesired to be developed bythe Iu eiglnt of tn egarment. Theclamping bar ex'- tends laterallylso that one edgemoves towards theholding bar I ll'` to clamp the garment between theybars. 'Ihe otheredge hasa downwardlforce applied thereto, indicated byV th'earrow,caused 'by the weightof .the garment hanging over the clamping bar. Theclampingbar may have suit- 310,16 Stpplmeans to preventit from makingl aoompleterotation. The simplest. construction .of

means is',to' extend the rends 24 ofV the bar iv ,vvhih engage theframe. and thereby prevent rotation yof the ',.barl although permitting"ample pivotingfor clamping `action upon a garment orarticleifdr'apedover the ,clamping bar.

'lfhergarrnenthanger:isoperated by tilting the hang'eifrarzneIvhorizontally.so that the holding |24: hangs ,downwardlyior in yopenposition. LIn this ,positifm` 'the holding .bar means andy the clampingbar means are widely separated from each other so that a garment G suchas a pair of pants can be easily inserted therebetween. Tilting thehanger frame to a vertical position swings the holding bar meansdownwardly to the position shown in Figure 2 where it is adjacent to anedge of the clamping bar means. The garment or trousers may then bereleased and its weight pulls one edge of the clamping bar downwardlythereby raising the opposite edge to clamp the garment between theholding bar means and the clamping bar means.

In the construction of Figure 3 the wide separation between the clampingbar means and the holding bar means is secured in another manner. Aframe 28 may have the usual hook 29 for supporting the hanger from aclothes bar. The frame carries a holding bar means 30 .which is fixed tothe frame.

A clamping bar means 33 is carried upon pivots 34 and is comparable inconstruction to the clamping bar of Figure 1 in that it is relativelywide so that a clamping leverage is secured. The clamping bar likewiseextends in a lateral direction when clamping a, garment thereto. Thehanger of Figure 3 diiIerS from that of Figures 1 and 2 in that theclamping -bar is movable towards and away from the xed holding barmeans. This motion is accomplished by mounting the pivots at each end ofthe clamping bar means upon a lever 35 at each end of the bar. Eachlever 35 is mounted upon a pivot 36 carried by the frame. In thisconstruction the clamping bar means not only has a pivotal movement forclamping action but it also is mounted to move towards and away from theholding bar 30 so that a garment may be easily draped over the clampingbar. When the clamping bar with the garment thereon has been swung up tothe position shown in Figure 3, the weight of the garment pullsdownwardly in the direction of the arrow on one edge of the clamping barwhich brings the opposite edge thereof into clamping contact with thegarment to clamp the same between the clamping bar means and the holdingbar means 30.

The levers 35 preferably extend far enough so :that the ends thereofengage the holding bar means and serve as a stop or stop means lforretaining the clamping bar means in clamping position in which theholding bar means is in the path of movement of a longitudinal edge ofthe clamping bar means. The .weight of the garment 4will normally retainthe levers in contact with :the holding bar means. In order to doublyassure the retention of the levers against the holding bar means aspring clip 38 may be provided which sn-aps beneath the holding barmeans and releasably retains the levers and hence the clamping bar meansin clamping position with respect to the holding bar means.

It is not necessary that a, complete hanger be built in order topractice the invention. In Figure 4 a construction is illustrated bywhich a conventional hanger may be converted to a clamping hanger. Thehanger includes :a Iframe 4| which carries a bar 42 xed thereto. Aholding bar means 43 has links 44 with an eye 45 on the end thereof eachof which is received in a loop 46 which may be a staple ldriven into theedge of the frame. This provides pivotal mounting for the holding -barmeans which enables the latter to swing to and from clamping position inorder to provide a wide opening between the latter and the clamping barmeans. The ends 41 of the holding bar means may extend upwardly to en- 4gage the frame and thereby retain the holding bar means in clampingposition.

The clamping bar means 5l) is similar to the clamping bar means 22 and33 of Figures 1 and 3 in that it is relatively wide in order to providea clamping leverage and extends laterally with respect to the frame. Theclamping bar means may be pivotally carried by the fixed bar 42 -by anysuitable means including a pair of bearing members 5I which are securedto the clamping bar and permit the latter to pivot on the fixed bar 42.The clamping action in this construction is like that of Figures lthrough 3 and need not be described in detail. Here again the weight ofthe garment rotates the clamping bar to bring one edge thereof towardsthe holding bar and thereby exert clamping pressure upon the garment orarticle between the two bar or bar means so that the garment will beclamped therebetween and will not slide off the hanger.

It will be vobserved that the hangers described embody two movements,one movement which is a separation movement to bring the two bars awayfrom each other so that a garment may be readily inserted or removedtherebetween. The separation movement is a swinging or pivotal movementessentially parallel to the frame although it is clear that clearance orseparation may be secured by a lateral swinging of the holding bar. Thesecond movement is a pivoting action of the clamping bar means which-utilizes the weight of the garment applied at one longitudinal edgethereof to turn the clamp bar means and move the other longitudinal edgetowards the holding bar means whereby the garment is clamped between thetwo bars.

This invention is presented to fill a need for improvements in a hanger.It is understood that various modications in structure, as well aschanges in mode of operation, assembly, and manner of use, may and oftendo occur to those skilled in the art, especially after benefiting fromthe teachings of an invention. Hence, it will be understood that thisdisclosure is illustrative of preferred means of embodying the inventionin useful form by explaining the construction, operation and advantagesthereof.

What is claimed is:

1. A garment hanger comprising a frame, a holding bar means, a flatclamping bar means extending late-rally with respect to the frame andhaving a width to provide longitudinally extendlng edges for clampingpressure between one longitudinal edge thereof and the holding bar meansby the downward weight applied at the other longitudinal edge thereof byan article hanging thereover, pivot means between the longitudinal edgesof the clamping bar means for pivotally mounting the same, and meanssupporting one of the bar. means upon the frame in the path of movementof a longitudinal edge of the lclamping bar means and to move the sameaway from the other bar means to permit wide separation between the twobar means and thereby enable the article to be easily insertedtherebetween and draped over the clamping bar means and thereafter to bereturned to its position with the holding bar means cooperativelyadjacent to the longitudinal edge of the clamping bar means for clampingaction therebetween.

2. A garment hanger comprising a frame, a holding bar means, a flatclamping bar means extending laterally with respect to the frame andhaving a width to provide longitudinally extending edges for clampingpressure between one longitudinal edge thereof and the holding barVmeans by V.the Vdownward weight applied at the between and draped overthe clamping bar means I:

and thereafter to be returned to a position where the holding bar meansis cooperatively adjacent to the longitudinal edge of the clamping barmeans for clamping action therebetween.

3. A garment hanger as in claim 2 including means retaining the pivotstructure in clamping position with the holding bar means adjacent alongitudinal edge of the clamping bar means.

4. A garment hanger as in claim 2 including stop means to obstruct theclamping bar means against complete rotation.

5. A garment hanger as in claim 2 includingextensions upon at least oneend of the clamping bar means to form stop means to `obstruct the sameagainst complete rotation.

6. A garment hanger comprising a frame, a holding bar means, a flatclamping bar means extending laterally with respect to the frame andhaving a width to provide longitudinally extending edges for clampingpressure between one longitudinal edge thereof and the holding bar meansby the downward weight applied at the other longitudinal edge thereof byan article hanging thereover, pivot means between the longitudinal edgesof the clamping bar means an-d received by the frame for pivotallymounting the same to the frame, and means supporting the holding barmeans upon the frame and in the path of movement of a longitudinal edgeof the clamping bar means and to move the holding bar means away fromthe clamping bar means to per-mit wide separation between the bar meansand thereby enable the article to be easily inserted therebetween anddraped over the clamping bar means and thereafter to be returned to aposition where the holding bar means is cooperatively adjacent to thelongitudinal edge of the clamping bar means for clamping actiontherebetween.

7. A garment hanger as in claim 6 including stop means to limit therotation of the clamping bar means.

8. A garment hanger as in claim 6 including pivots for the supportingmeans spaced from the holding bar means to pivotally support the sameupon the frame and to swing the holding .bar means with a parallelmovement towards and away from the clamping bar means, and stop meansfor retaining the holding bar means in a position adjacent alongitudinal edge of the clamping bar means.

9. A garment hanger as in claim 6 including pivots for the supportingmeans spaced from the holding bar means to pivotally support the sameupon the frame and to svving the holding bar means with a parallelmovement towards and away from the clamping bar means, and the ends ofthe holding bar means extending into engagement with the frame to retainthe same adjacent to a longitudinal edge of the clamping bar means.

vv10. Afgarment hanger as in claim- 6 vincluding pivots for thesupporting'means spaced from the holding bar means to pivotally-'supportthe same upon the vframe andv to swing the' holding bar means with aparallel movement towards and away from the clamping bar means, stopmeans for retaining the holding bar means in a position adjacent theedge of 'the clamping bar means, and stop means to limit the rotation ofth-e clamping bar means.

Il. A kgarment hanger comprising a frame, a holding bar xed to theframe, a flat clamping bar extending laterally with respect to the frameand having a width'to provide longitudinally extending edges forclamping pressure between one longitudinal edge thereof and the holdingbar by the downward weight applied at the other longitudinal edgethereof of an article hanging thereover, pivot means between thelongitudinal edges of the clamping bar for pivotally mounting the same,and pivot structure mounting the clamping bar upon the frame parallel tothe holding bar and in a position in which the holding bar is in thepath of movement of a longitudinal edge of the clamping bar and havingpivots spaced from the clamping bar and received by the frame to swingthe clamping bar away from th-e holding bar to permit wide separationbetween the two bars and thereby enable the article to be easilyinserted therebetween and draped over the clamping bar and thereafter tobe returned to its position with the holding bar means cooperativelyadjacent to a longitudinal edge of the clamping bar means.

12. A garment hanger as in claim 11 including stop means limiting themovement of the pivot structure to a position where a longitudinal edgeof the clamping bar is in cooperating relation adjacent to the holdingbar.

13. A garment hanger as in claim 12 including stop means to obstruct theclamping bar against complete rotation.

14. A garment hanger conversion unit for converting a frame having a xedbar carried thereby into a clamping hanger comprising a holding bar, aflat clamping bar having a width to provide longitudinal edges one ofwhich provides clamping pressure between it and the holding bar by theweight of an article hanging thereover and applied at the otherlongitudinal edge, a pivot structure connected with the holding bar andhaving pivot means spaced from the holding bar and adapted to be securedto a hanger frame to support the holding bar in the path of movement ofa longitudinal edge of the clamping bar and to swing the holding baraway from the clamping bar to permit separation of the same and therebyenable an article to be easily draped over the clamping bar andthereafter to swing to a position where the bars are adjacent to eachother for clamping action upon the article, pivot means for pivotallysecuring the clamping bar upon the iixed bar of a frame, and stop meanslimiting the swinging movement of the holding bar to a position in thepath of movement of a longitudinal edge of the clamping bar.

15. A garment hanger converted to a clamping hanger comprising a framehaving a xed bar carried thereby, a holding bar, a flat clamping barhaving a Width to provide longitudinal edges one of which providesclamping pressure between it and the holding bar by the weight of anarticle hanging thereover and applied at the other longitudinal edge,pivot means for pivotally securing the clamping bar upon the xed bar ofa 7 frame, a pivot structure connected with the holding bar and havingpivot means spaced from the holding bar secured to the hanger frame tosupport the holding bar in the path of movement of a longitudinal edgeof the clamping bar and to swing the holding bar away from the clampingbar to permit separation of the same and thereby enable an article to beeasily draped over the clamping bar and thereafter to swing to aposition where the bars are adjacent to each other for clamping actionupon the article, and stop means limiting the swinging movement of theholding bar to a position in the path of movement of a longitudinal edgeof the clamping bar.

JOHN P. BROWN.

8 REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Certificate of Correction Patent N o. 2,490,201December 6, 1949 JOHN P. BROWN It is hereby certied that error appearsin the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiringcorrection as follows:

Column 4, line 9, after means insert the Words that illustrated;

and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correctiontherein that the seme may conform to the record of the case in thePatent Olce.

Signed and sealed this 21st day of March, A. D. 1950,

THOMAS F. MURPHY,

Assistant Uommzssz'oner of Patents.

